A federal judge on Wednesday blocked President Donald Trump's deployment of National Guard troops in Los Angeles and ordered the troops to be returned to the state governor's control.
In June, Trump sent thousands of National Guard troops to the California city in the wake of protests over his administration ramping up immigration raids in Los Angeles.
US District Judge Charles Breyer stated that the Trump administration had not demonstrated that the city's protests justified taking federal control of the state's National Guard.
The Trump administration still has custody of 300 California National Guard troops six months after they were federalized, Judge Breyer remarked.
Breyer also dismissed the Trump administration's argument that the courts should refrain from intervening when a president asserts control over state National Guard troops amid an emergency.
The Founders designed our government to be a system of checks and balances, Judge Breyer wrote in his ruling. Defendants, however, make clear that the only check they want is a blank one.
Judge Breyer's order will not take effect until December 15, giving the Trump administration time to likely appeal to a higher court.
The BBC has reached out to the White House for a comment on this decision.
This year, Trump has deployed National Guard troops to various cities, including Portland, Oregon, and Washington, D.C., where court challenges have also arisen regarding these deployments.
California Governor Gavin Newsom filed a lawsuit shortly after Trump initially deployed troops in June, although a court of appeals initially sided with the administration, justifying the federalization of the National Guard in light of protests in Los Angeles.
In November, Newsom lodged a new legal challenge, arguing that protests had considerably subsided and consequently the presence of troops was unwarranted.
During a recent hearing, attorneys for the Trump administration contended that the troops should remain in LA due to ongoing threats against federal immigration agents operating there.
However, Judge Breyer appeared unconvinced of the necessity for troops to continue in the city so long after the deployment. He noted, I think experience teaches us that crises come and crises go.
In his ruling, Judge Breyer warned that the Trump administration was, in effect, creating a national police force by misusing state troops for federal purposes.
Judge Breyer had previously asserted that Trump’s method of deploying the National Guard to Los Angeles was illegal.
Each of the 50 US states, along with the District of Columbia and several territories, hosts its own National Guard forces.
President Trump's deployments have faced legal challenges by various state and local authorities, with the president insisting that the troops are essential for quelling violence in cities governed by Democrats, combating crime, and supporting his immigration policies.
